Court of Appeals rules that DACA must continue

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today, Nov. 8, that the Donald Trump administration must continue DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The Court's ruling based in San Francisco preserves DACA protection, introduced in 2012 by former President Barack Obama, for hundreds of thousands of people who came to the United States before the age of 16 and meet a number of requirements.

With its decision, the three-judge panel keeps in place a ruling issued by federal judge William Alsup on Jan. 9, which ordered the government to continue receiving DACA renewal applications, blocking the order to cancel the program by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the direction of President Donald Trump on Sept. 5, 2017.

The Court issued its decision three days after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asked the Supreme Court of Justice to review and determine the legality of the government's revocation of DACA, even before the federal appellate courts issue a final ruling in pending lawsuits on the case.

Today's decision means that for the time being, the program remains in effect. However, no new applications will be accepted.